Playing The Part
by xxfalcon
Summary: Now everybody, in line with our lesson on Medieval History, we've decided to put up a nice play for all our owners and friends. All of you will be helping out, but only some will get to act...
1. Chapter 1

"Miss Ford has a special surprise for us today!" said Fluffy. "I can't wait for class!"

"You ALWAYS can't wait for class," sighed Sweet, the white Aisha's brother.

"Not me," moaned Angel. "The ray's been playing tricks on me and now I have to go to school as a Poogle made of jelly!" He looked down at his paws and shuddered at the sight of pink gelatin.

Glitter the faerie Acara put a reassuring paw on her little brother's shoulder. "I don't think it'll be that bad…unless the cafeteria ladies start serving jelly for desert."

Sweet the striped Kacheek shot her a stern look. "Don't scare him!" Suddenly the bell rang. All four pets gasped, and he and Fluffy sprinted towards their class, Glitter flew towards her own, and Angel ran for his. The quad separated and tried not to get trampled on by the other students hurrying to get to class.

Soon the Kacheek and the Aisha, clutching their stuff, made it to their room, where a strawberry Poogle was waiting. A few more students trailed behind the pair, and in a few minutes, every pupil was seated in their respective places, eyeing their teacher excitedly, as if she were to suddenly distribute chocolate to everyone.

"Good morning, class!" said Miss Ford formally, yet kindly. "Now tell me, why is everyone so happy and smiling today?"

"You promised a surprise for us today, Miss Ford!" yelled a voice at the back of the classroom.

"And we want it now! We want it NOW!" an Ixi chimed in, banging his fists in time with his chant. Many others also took up the cry, including Sweet and Fluffy. But instead of yelling at her class to keep quiet, the Poogle teacher simply grinned and said, "Come now, everyone, let's save this excitement and energy for later! I'll tell you the big surprise if you all listen closely."

All the students immediately stopped chanting and banging. All eyes and ears were on Miss Ford.

"Now everybody, in line with our lesson on Medieval History, we've decided to put up a nice play for all our owners and friends. All of you will be helping out, but only several will get to act, maybe the lead roles or extras. Either way, you are all wanted and expected to do your parts."

There was a long pause until the striped Kacheek blurted out, "What's the play called?"

Miss Ford rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a small sheaf of papers bound together with some string. "It's entitled, 'The Great Queen of Meridell' by an anonymous playwright."

"That's a weird name," remarked a green Skeith.

"It's not a name," replied Fluffy. "It just means the one who wrote the play didn't want his or her name to be known to the public."

The strawberry Poogle nodded. "That's right, Fluffy. Anyway, the play is about the legend of a queen long ago who ruled before King Skarl ever did. She was pretty, well known, and once saved Meridell from an evil villain who wanted to take hold of the kingdom. Instead of letting her subjects rush into battle for her, Queen Allison joined the war as well. She knew how to hold swords, ride trusty steeds into the fray and defeat the waves of evil threatening the kingdom."

Everyone in the class started whispering excitedly to each other, wearing eager smiles on their faces.

"Now," said Miss Ford, "I bet you all know what I'm going to say next."

"Ooh, ooh! I want to be a knight in the play!" yelled Sweet, waving his paw in the air.

"No, me!" said a Draik beside the striped Kacheek.

"I think I'd rather work the lights," said Fluffy calmly, gritting her teeth. "The sight of so many spectators makes me shiver and shake," she added under her breath. Soon all the other students began speaking at once, shouting out what they wanted to do in the play.

The strawberry Poogle chuckled. "My, you are a bunch of clever, enthusiastic young ones! But I can't just handpick the actors and actresses. There will be an official audition wherein the characters will be judged. And as for the slots for extras, it's a first-come first-serve basis. Of course, whoever can fit best into a certain character will get to play the part. Clear?"

"Clear as crystal," chorused the class.

"Very good! Now where are your English books? Turn to page 45 for our lesson on writing sentences. Who wants to read the first paragraph of the lesson?"

"Fluffy's got stage fright! Fluffy's got stage fright!" teased Sweet. He and his siblings were facing a bulletin board, filled with all sorts of announcements. The day after Miss Ford's big surprise was also the day of the auditions, and now everyone was crowded around the latest note tacked up onto the board, held with a couple of small pink pins.

"I am NOT scared at the thought of many eyes focused on me, OK? Now put a sock in it, Sweet," grumbled Fluffy.

"Yeah, right! And white Weewoos will suddenly stampede through the corridors during lunchtime," replied her big brother swiftly.

"Guys, will you two just shut up for a while?" asked Angel, trying to stand on tiptoe. "I can't read the announcement and you both are making it even harder with all your bantering!" The Aisha looked at the Poogle with relief.

Glitter the faerie Acara hovered over the crowd and started to read the note aloud for her siblings.

"You are all invited to join the play entitled, 'The Great Queen of Meridell', whether you are tall or short, elite or average, actor/actress or not. Auditions will be held in the auditorium tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon. Three teachers will give you further instructions once you enter and state the character you wish to try out for. The final results will be posted next Monday.

Even if you don't pass the auditions, don't fret! You can always become an usher and help the audience find seats, or work the lights and props, or become an extra. To be an extra in the play, sign your name in the list next to this announcement. It's a first-come first-serve basis, so better hurry! Characters' names are posted on the opposite side, in case you forget whom you wanted to play."

She landed immediately after reading everything and looked at Angel, Sweet and Fluffy. "Well?" she asked.

"I'll become an extra knight, or maybe the general who leads the troops into the war!" said the Kacheek, elbowing a hapless Moehog aside to read the list of characters.

"I can be an extra knight too!" squealed Angel. "I want to carry a sword around and battle evil!"

"And I'll try out for the role of Queen Allison," said Glitter dreamily, batting her eyelashes. "Oh, the thrill and joy of being the star of the show! The fame of being the heroine excites me so much that…that…"

"Uh, in case you guys didn't know," interrupted Fluffy timidly, "the auditions aren't until 10:00 and it's already time for classes. We can't be late just because we've been combing the announcement board." The white Aisha pointed one of her clean paws to the clock on the wall and gestured towards the hurrying students.

The quad traded looks and ran to join the dissipating crowd of frantic pupils. But none of them saw Fluffy glance at the auditions announcement board briefly, shudder with unmistakable anxiety and chant softly, "I'm not afraid…I'm not afraid…I'm not afraid…" She thought of working the lights, but realized that even if she did so, the crowd would still see her and make her nervous. Fluffy bit her lip and followed Sweet into the classroom, trying not to think about the whole thing.

The minutes passed like hours, and the hours like days. Sweet couldn't keep himself from doodling pictures of himself as a brave young knight on the back of his notebook. Many of the other pets were too excited to listen to Miss Ford, who was busy scribbling a particularly important science lesson. Only Fluffy seemed to be attentive, taking copious notes and putting her paw in the air multiple times. Eventually the strawberry Poogle teacher gave up.

"Well, class, since the excitement of the auditions looms upon us, I guess we'll just have to continue the lesson tomorrow," said Miss Ford. Her words were met with squeals of joy and excitement, and the sounds of thumping feet as they made their way towards the door. Straight through the corridor they bolted, till all the eager students met the door of the auditorium. Meanwhile a white Aisha trailed slowly behind.

Suddenly Fluffy and Sweet heard a voice calling their names. They broke away from the class and joined Glitter and Angel.

"Look yonder, fair subjects, for trouble this way comes," said the faerie Acara in a strange, medieval accent.

"Nice," groaned Angel. "We'll be hearing a lot of that soon."

As the auditorium door opened, the class (or in this case, classes) found themselves staring at a huge stage, with lights and colorful curtains.

"This place must hold hundreds of people," said the Poogle, surveying the many rows and columns of chairs for the audience.

"You just HAD to remind me," whispered Fluffy. But no one heard her over the sound of the voice of a nearby teacher.

"Anyone who wants to audition for the lead roles, come to me. Miss Ford will handle the extras. And everyone else, find SOMETHING to do. There are lights to control, props to design, backgrounds to paint and costumes to create. All of you must play a part in this particularly spiffy play," bellowed a fire Scorchio over the din of the students.

"Everyone?" repeated the white Aisha, still staring at the size of the auditorium.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mr. Embers! Mr. Embers! I want to be an extra knight, please!" called Angel as he tried to reach his teacher.

"Angel? Angel, is that you? Why sure, I saw your name in the list anyway. Look, can you help round up your fellow extras so we can talk for a while?" asked the fire Scorchio, flipping through a bunch of papers on a clipboard.

Meanwhile Sweet and Glitter gathered along with some other pupils around a teacher, who said, "Everyone, you will take turns reading some lines in front of us, so we will see how you blend in with your character and become one with your new personality. Auditions for the lead roles will take place here on the stage, while the supporting roles will be taken over there, in the back. That way we can move faster."

"Hey Angel! You're going to be an extra knight? I am too!" The jelly Poogle whipped around to see a Christmas Wocky calling him.

"Foreon?" The two friends ran towards each other and did a high five. "Forey! Come on!" Angel took his chum's paw and led him towards Mr. Embers.

As they ran towards the teacher, they passed a white Aisha, who was busy looking at everyone else. Her gaze flew towards the stage, where a spotted Flotsam was trying out for the role of Queen Allison. Fluffy also glanced at the other side, and heard Sweet impersonate a brave young general, brandishing a toy sword as part of the process.

"Dear me, what's a pretty young Aisha like you doing standing around?" asked Ms. Tails, a tall Island Lupe. "Don't you have something to do?"

Fluffy took one look at her and said, "Uh, I just wanted to find the bathroom in the auditorium."

"Well, it's at the right of the stage, dear," said Miss Tails. "You can't miss it!" But as the teacher went to help Miss Ford supervise the auditions, Fluffy hung back and didn't take even one step towards the bathroom. She was still beadily watching everyone else, shuddering as thoughts of the show being performed in front of a huge audience permeated her mind.

She strolled around the auditorium, watching her siblings audition instead of auditioning herself.

"Come, troops, we shall defend Meridell, even if it means we suffer!" Sweet was yelling, as he waved a plastic sword in the air. The teacher in charge - a shadow Chomby - was looking very impressed and scribbled something in an orange clipboard. Then as the Kacheek rushed over to a speckled Shoyru trying to portray the villain, Mr. Mossy fixed his dark eyes on both of them so intently that he didn't seem to blink.

Next, Fluffy shifted her gaze to the stage, where Glitter was reading some lines and doing a bit of body language. Miss Ford and Miss Tails were smiling widely as the faerie Acara took a couple of steps forward and did a couple of paw gestures. Then suddenly, as Fluffy's sister attempted a little dance step included in the script, she tripped and flopped onto her front.

Several students howled with laughter, while the Poogle and Lupe teachers just grinned. "Carry on, Glitter, you're doing fine," said Miss Tails soothingly, but that didn't stop some of the other pets from snickering. The Acara bit her lip in humiliation and then continued doing her lines.

Fluffy shuddered at what happened to Glitter on the stage. The white Aisha wanted nothing but for the day to be over - or better yet, the play.

"And then, I said, 'Look over there, fair consorts, we have at last spotted the enemy!' and Miss Ford smiled at me!" said Glitter happily, stuffing a huge taco into her mouth. "Sure, I tripped, but the teachers said it was all right."

Angel gasped. "Wasn't that embarrassing?" he asked anxiously.

The faerie Acara smiled. "Of course not! In fact - "

"You should have seen me!" interrupted Sweet. "Mr. Mossy said I make a great knight, and I'm really good with a sword!" He grabbed his fork and began making knight imitations on the table.

"I'M GOING TO BE AN EXTRA!" squealed Angel, spilling his apple juice all down his front.

"Who cares about the extras?" said Glitter indignantly. "I'm going to be THE STAR, and everyone's going to love me!"

"They'll love you all right…when you bribe them with free chocolate and tickets to the next Twisted Roses concert," snickered Sweet. Angel nearly fell off his chair laughing his head off. The faerie Acara glared at them at first and replied, "You'll see! My name will be up in lights when they give out the results of the auditions!"

Kat sighed, and grinned. The Poogle, Acara and Kacheek were all so excited and glad, and she could not bear to quiet them down. "All right, I guess you three had quite a ball in the auditions today.

"Raincrystal said I acted really well after the audition!" added the faerie Acara. "She even said that I was perfect for the part!"

However, amidst the chatter and squealing going on at the table, Kat noticed a white Aisha's unnatural silence as she brought strawberry trifle and chocolate-coated candy canes over.

"Hey, Fluff, what's wrong?" asked the girl, setting down the dessert and not batting an eye at her other pets who began attacking it hungrily and sloppily. She looked at her Aisha, who was nibbling very slowly on her own taco.

Fluffy said nothing, but looked away, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her owner took that as a danger sign, shrugged and walked back to her seat. Still, Kat watched the white Aisha even more carefully throughout the dinner, amidst the pandemonium going on over the trifle and chocolate candy.

"Sweet, you eat like a Snorkle!" exclaimed Glitter angrily. "Save some for us!"

"No, I don't!" answered the striped Kacheek. "Look who's been attacking the chocolate-coated candy canes?"

"Will you two just shut up?" sighed Angel, grabbing a second helping of strawberry trifle.

"Now look who's eating like a Snorkle!" said the faerie Acara, pointing at her younger brother viciously. Angel thwacked her with a spoon.

Kat chuckled a bit, smiled a weak smile, and decided to see if she had more trifle and chocolate. However, Fluffy finally stood up.

"I think I'll just go to bed early," she mumbled, thoughts of being seen on a huge stage by dozens and maybe hundreds of spectators drifting through her head again and making her a little queasy as she walked to her bedroom slowly. In the background, Sweet, Angel and Glitter continued the chaos on the dining table while their frantic owner kept sibling rivalries from forming.

The days seemed to pass like weeks for Glitter, Sweet and Angel. In every class, their attention would be pierced by memories of the auditions and seeing themselves in the spotlight. Not one day passed when at least one or two of them were reprimanded for daydreaming and paying no attention.

It seemed as though the "impatience syndrome" was contagious, as many other students were barely listening to Miss Ford describe multiplying two-digit numbers. Raincrystal was passing notes to Sweet, a split Buzz had fallen asleep on his table and was drooling all over it while the teacher wasn't looking, while a nearby speckled Shoyru had leaned back on his chair and stared at the ceiling. Angel was now doodling a picture of himself as a knight, and Glitter struggled to keep her eyes open.

However, Fluffy was the opposite. She continued taking so many notes and reciting more than thrice in a class. Raincrystal the cloud Kacheek asked her why she wasn't as excited about the audition results or the play itself while Miss Ford had her back turned, but the white Aisha didn't answer and buried herself in a thick book. Apparently Raincrystal didn't get the message, as she tried contacting Fluffy again. However the cloud Kacheek's efforts in communicating with her friend were futile.

After a few days of impatience, waiting and more impatience, the bell signaling lunchtime rang on one gloomy Monday, and everyone except Fluffy snapped out of the air of impatience. Everyone sprinted out of their chairs, leaving a trail of mess except the white Aisha and ran for the bulletin boards displaying the results of the auditions. Strangely, Miss Ford didn't even notice that Fluffy was taking her own sweet time unlike all her classmates.

It was no surprise that there were almost no crowds in the corridors, as nearly everybody had flocked to the bulletin boards, their eyes flying towards some newly tacked papers on them. Not a single one of them saw a single white Aisha who hung back, until a jelly Poogle jumped up and tackled her.

"Want to hear the results?" asked Angel excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Er…" Fluffy began.

"What the heck, I'll tell you myself! I'M AN EXTRA NOW!" he yelled.

The Aisha searched the crowds for her brother and sister. "Hey, what about Sweet and Glitter? What happened to them? WAIT!" She followed Angel over to the results board. Although Fluffy wasn't interested in the play, she was interested in finding out what had happened to her other brother and sister.


	3. Chapter 3

Fluffy fought through the crowds swarming around the bulletin boards. She caught sight of a faerie Acara and jelly Poogle dancing with joy and laughing with mirth together.

"Angel!" she called loudly, in order to be heard over the squeals and exclamations of other pets. "Angel! Glitter! There you guys are!"

"Guess who's Queen Allison?" said Glitter, quivering with gladness. "GUESS?"

"Uh…you?" said the white Aisha monotonously.

The faerie Acara soared, did a little flip in midair and alighted back onto the floor before anyone could take her spot next to the bulletin board. "I'm the STAR! You will all see my name in lights, my pictures in the Neopian Times, my beautiful - "

"Yeah, good for you, but what about me?" replied an irritated, furious voice from somewhere. A striped Kacheek came into view, scowling horribly and stomping from the bulletin board,

Glitter went over to Sweet. "Come on, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"I wasn't chosen, okay?" said her brother indignantly. "Some stupid Jetsam called Alvin got the part. IT WASN'T FAIR!" Sweet buried his face in his striped paws.

Angel sighed. "It won't be the same…but that's all right! They cast you on the lights committee!" he answered.

Sweet glowered at his brother. "I was meant to play the part…it was mine…"

"Sorry chump, it's MINE now!" crowed an arrogant voice from behind them. An immaculately groomed white Jetsam came out of a group of elite, popular pets. "I'm 'stupid' Alvin, who will now be playing the male lead!" He sneered at Angel's eldest sibling.

"Whatever," said the striped Kacheek, glaring at him. "Come on, let's go to lunch."

However, lunch wasn't as comforting as Sweet had hoped. As he helped himself to the chocolate cake they were serving on that day, a male Royal Cybunny shoved him aside and said, "Make way for Alvin, reject!" so loudly that nearly everyone in the cafeteria began to laugh, especially as Sweet's rival came sauntering in, wearing a snooty smile. The Jetsam immediately speared the Kacheek's slice of cake and put it in his own tray, which made the crowd howl with mirth even more.

Seething, he forgot about the chocolate cake, stomped off to his siblings' table and buried his face in his paws, listening to the laughter slowly die down.

"And you said this wouldn't be so bad!" he yelled at Glitter's direction.

She perked up suddenly from her meal. "What has gotten into you, anyway?"

"Haven't you heard the laughter? How about the horrible voices? THE FACT THAT ALVIN GOT THE PART AND NOT ME?"

"Look, I don't blame you for being a sore loser, Sweet," said the faerie Acara casually. "But - "

"Don't you 'but' me, sis," he said angrily. "YOU got the part, and you have nothing to worry about."

Just then one of Glitter's friends, a rainbow Uni, walked by. "Hey there!"

"Hi!" Sweet's sister turned to wave. "Looking good today, Alisa!"

"Well, being the friend of Queen Alison is one thing! Well, see you!"

"You too!" As soon as Alisa had vamoosed, the faerie Acara went back to her jacket potato, much to the annoyance of Sweet.

He abruptly stood up on the bench. "SEE?"

"You're SUCH a LOSER, SWEET!" replied Glitter irritably. "Can't you let the matter drop?"

"Easy for you to say, Queen Alison," growled the Kacheek, putting sarcastic emphasis on the last two words.

"Why, I ought to - "

"Bring it on - "

Fluffy rose and held her older brother back. Meanwhile Angel clutched Glitter's shoulders to keep her from jumping on Sweet.

"Let's not start a fight, okay?" said the white Aisha tersely. "Sweet, can you just get over you not getting the part? And Glitter, don't intimidate your brother more, because his broken spirit's recovering."

"I DON'T HAVE A BROKEN SPIRIT!" yelled the Kacheek so loudly that the whole cafeteria fell silent, so silent that the squelchy drop of a banana peel could be heard.

"Only geeks stay on the lights committee," moaned Sweet. "I don't want to be a geek."

"Not really! Alisa's on the lights committee and she's NOT a geek!" retorted Glitter. "And you better shut up or I'll throw my mashed eye potato at you!"

As the striped Kacheek stuck his tongue out, the faerie Acara shoved her spoon into her food and lobbed a chunk into his face. He immediately grabbed a bit of his roast chicken and aimed for her head as retaliation. Angel covered his head with his paws as the food sailed through the air and landed on Glitter's head.

As for Fluffy, she barely paid any attention to the food fight and her little brother trying to shield himself. She ate her dinner faster than usual, wiped her mouth, and left the dining room before Kat could see what was going on at the table - all in silence.

"KAT!" shouted the Poogle, ducking under the table. Instantly, the girl (who was preoccupied with the dessert and oblivious to her pets) whipped around and saw a Kacheek and an Acara covered in food debris and frozen in mid-throw.

Their owner walked up to them, clutching the tray of chocolate faerie cakes. She wasn't smiling at all.

"Explain," she asked firmly, eyes narrowed at Sweet and Glitter, who slunk back to their seats, ashamed. Then, after a five and a half second pause, both launched into their story.

"Sweet wasn't picked - "

"SHE WAS!"

"He's a sore loser - "

"I wasn't chosen! You know - "

"HE CALLED ALISA A GEEK!"

"SHE CALLED ME A SORE LOSER!"

"Well, you are!"

"ORDER!"

The striped Kacheek and faerie Acara bit their lips and turned to Kat, who had halted their quarrels and sighed with relief.

"Angel…" she began, "Go to bed. I will deal with your brother and sister. Have you seen Fluffy?"

The jelly Poogle shrugged. "Bedroom. 'Night, folks." He traipsed off to his room, singing, "I'm an extra knight…I'm an extra knight…" as he went, and did a little dance to go with it. All of a sudden, he tripped over Morpheus, his little Anubis. Angel picked him up and went off to his domain.

Back at the dining room, Kat gave her two remaining pets a couple of towels to clean themselves up.

"Okay, before you guys sleep, take a bath, otherwise when you wake up you'll find your petpets licking you in the morning." She gathered up the dirty dishes and utensils, and put them all beside the sink. After which the girl turned to two guilty faces staring at her.

Kat stared back at them, a glare that clearly said, "This is serious business." Sweet and Glitter kept silent.

"This is serious business," their owner began in an equally serious voice. "What in the name of Fyora were you doing? Obviously neither of you is deserving to act in a play of royalty with that ruffian behavior."

The two siblings continued to say nothing, but listened to every word Kat was saying.

"Look, it doesn't matter who gets in and who doesn't. Sweet, there are more plays to be in, and more presentations to be the star of. Glitter, you don't have to rub it into your brother's face the fact that you get to play the lead and he gets rejected for the part he wants. In fact, you can't sacrifice your friendship for a little play."

"But it isn't just a little play," said Sweet. "According to Miss Ford, lots of Neopians will come and watch."

"That's not the point - " Kat interrupted.

"But Sweet is a sore loser!" Glitter interrupted.

"She won't stop yelling all her 'Look I'm Queen Alison' bits in my face!"

"Make HIM say sorry, because I have to practice my lines and he has to get used to it!"

"WHY CAN'T SHE JUST STOP IT?"

"YOU STOP IT!"

"AGH! ORDER!" shouted the girl in a tone that silenced the dueling pair. "Look, I've said what I wanted to say. Glitter, you just can't expect your brother to take it easily. You get the part and he doesn't get his, so don't brag your head off. Sweet, forget the past and move on. Maybe being on the lights committee won't be as bad as you think. Now…go to bed, you've all got school tomorrow."

After shooting each other terrible glares, the Acara and Kacheek stomped off to their rooms, avoiding eye contact along the way.

The next morning, the four siblings were back in Neoschool. Sweet and Glitter weren't speaking to each other at all, and Fluffy and Angel gave up getting them to forgive each other since breakfast. They were all silent, especially when Alvin showed up and yelled, "Well, if it isn't the reject! I heard you can still be in the play…as the Meridell rubbish dump!" Everyone else in the corridor began to laugh, and the Poogle and Aisha shot reproachful looks at the Jetsam as they made sure Sweet didn't jump up on his rival and caused trouble.

"I just hope both of them can get through this play alive," whispered Angel. "Everyone's betting that one of them will eat the other up. Not literally, of course."

Fluffy nodded, and added under her breath, "I wish I could get through this play alive too."


	4. Chapter 4

"Sweet, do you mind moving that spotlight a little bit to the left?" asked Miss Ford. "Your sister needs a little lighting, as she is the center of attention."

The striped Kacheek glowered as Glitter smiled snugly, and he moved the huge light. Technically, it was simply a pole with a tiny room-like box where a volunteering light faerie would shine down on the participant in the play. As the simple device was moved, the little sprite inside would quickly illuminate the pet being pointed at, which in this case, was a faerie Acara in a royal costume.

"Oh, fair consorts, why must I let you suffer?" proclaimed Sweet's sibling as she made a slightly silly gesture at the extra knights at the right, including her jelly Poogle sibling. He couldn't help grinning as she pointed at them.

The strawberry Poogle teacher stood up. "Angel, you're not supposed to be smiling! Stay serious, please," she called out. He gritted his teeth and put on a formal expression on his face.

Meanwhile, back at the lights committee, Alisa was busy scribbling on a copy of the script. "Sweet, we have to light up the area of the knights when Glitter says the word," she ordered. "Tell that to the light faeries operating above the stage."

While the striped Kacheek endured the work backstage, Fluffy was among the few students who didn't have much to do in the presentation. She sat in the audience, separated a bit from her other classmates, reading a thick book and barely commenting or cheering during the rehearsal. The white Aisha's mind registered once more the thought of acting in front of a huge audience, and it gave her another queasy feeling in her stomach.

"Hey, lights, dorks! Point those dazzling things towards ME, or suffer the wrath of my sword!" Fluffy perked up at the sound of the snooty voice and shook her head.

Alvin the Jetsam had appeared beside Glitter, and they were engaged in a conversation. Unfortunately, Sweet hadn't adjusted the lights, and this caused the other participants to jeer and joke at the fact that Alvin's rival had been put on the lights committee.

"You! I'm talking to you, loser!" he crowed in the Kacheek's direction. Alisa gently put her paw on Sweet's shoulder as her way of saying "Let's not cause trouble, or else you won't get to play a part in the play at all."

Sweet shot Alvin a horrible scowl while Miss Ford was helping Glitter fix her costume, and jerked one of the lights so hard that the faerie residing in it was almost knocked out of her domain. She frowned at the Kacheek as he stomped off to sit beside the props storage room.

Meanwhile, Alisa the Uni hung around beside the curtain and watched Glitter strut her stuff as Queen Alison.

Instead of usually sitting with her siblings at their respective table, Glitter turned right and headed for her friend Alisa's table. The rainbow Uni instinctively moved aside to make room for the faerie Acara.

"Rude much?" said Sweet loudly. "Breaking tradition?"

Fluffy shot her brother a glance. "No more," she whispered. "Let her go. She just needs time to herself."

The striped Kacheek crushed a crisp in his tray. "I think she needs a good licking to knock some sense into that peanut-sized brain of hers."

"Sweet, please," moaned Angel. "I don't like it when my siblings fight."

"Well, at least you're not the one being teased or taunted just because someone else got the part you wanted," said Angel's brother grumpily. "Look, can we just drop the subject so I can get through the day with minimal humiliation - "

A white Jetsam suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shoved Sweet's head right into his food tray. The Kacheek stood up, shaking lemon jelly, deviled neggs and more out of his fur and faced Alvin, still sporting a messy face.

"See? You're a shoo-in as the Meridell Rubbish Dump in the play!" crowed Alvin, slapping his sides and laughing along with his friends. Much to Sweet's annoyance, even Glitter, who was four tables away from him, was giggling with her group. Thankfully only a few pets, Fluffy and Angel weren't chuckling a bit.

"Lay off him, Alvin," said the white Aisha coolly. "Or you'll regret it."

The Jetsam shot one glance at Fluffy and rolled his eyes. "Like you can actually take me on, little lassie," he scoffed. "Please, your brother is already enough of an amusement." He and his troupe walked off, not noticing Sweet sticking out his tongue at them.

"My social life is officially over," he groaned, burying his head in his paws. "WHY?"

Glitter passed by with Alisa, holding their empty trays and chatting away. Angel and Fluffy distinctly heard the faerie Acara respond, "You ACTUALLY had a social life, Sweet? Wow, you learn new things everyday."

As the dismissal bell rang, Angel, Fluffy and Sweet ran out of their classrooms and met up at the lockers.

"I can't wait to go home," said the striped Kacheek sadly. "I just want to fling myself on my bed and pound pillows…"

While the jelly Poogle and the Aisha patted their brother's back consolingly, they heard loud flapping of wings and the impact of an Acara crashing into Fluffy. "What's going on?" she asked as she helped Glitter get up.

"Someone's out to get me," breathed Fluffy's sister, on the verge of panicking and squeezing a piece of paper in her left paw. "I saw this in my locker when I went to pick up my algebra book!"

Angel and the white Aisha took the note from Glitter and read it aloud, so even Sweet would hear.

"Bequeath the throne, O Queen Alison, for dangers await thee that thou might not desire. Abdicate it before abhor itself pries thy crown from thy paws. Thou are not destined to rule the land of Meridell. Step down, or be shoved off thy throne."

Glitter's face contorted into an even more anxious expression. "They don't want me to become the star of the show!" she whispered nervously. Suddenly her eyes grew wide, and the faerie Acara snapped her fingers. "Of course! SWEET wants me out of the play because he's not in it himself!"

The striped Kacheek who had been quiet for a while stared at his sister in outrage. "What? You expect me to sink that low just because of some play?"

"Only if it's a play you broke your back over just to enter," Glitter shot back. "You were all sad and stuff when you didn't get in and that jerk Alvin did. Admit it - you want me to get out because you're out!"

Sweet crossed his arms across his chest. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! I wouldn't do a thing like that, you know me by now!"

The faerie Acara put her paws on her hips and faced her brother. "Who knows? Maybe this is a side you only show when you're jealous! Jealousy can do things to you, Sweet."

"Can't you just get over that note and go on with your life? And stop sticking your nose into my depressed, unimportant one?" retorted the Kacheek. "Don't make me get my Lost Desert Dagger, Glitter."

"I can bop you over the head with my new wooden scepter, knave!" said Glitter irritably.

"Can you both just shut up, and forget about the whole thing just for two seconds!" cried Fluffy, raising both her paws at her siblings. Sure enough, Sweet and Glitter did as the Aisha told them.

But after a couple of moments of silence among the four of them, the feuding duo began once more. "You won't get away with this, Sweet! I'm telling on you!"

"You aren't even sure that I did it!"

"Yes, I am!"

"What? NOW you're the loser!"

"Wait till Miss Ford sees this! She'll really wig out!"

"Don't go tattletale on me, Glitter! Can't you just accept the fact that I didn't do it?"

"CAN WE GO HOME NOW?" shouted Angel so loudly that some remaining students turned to stare at the jelly Poogle. Scratching his head sheepishly, the little brother of the group marched off towards the exit, followed closely by Fluffy, who tried her best to keep Sweet and Glitter away from each other.

The quad walked back to their domain, quiet as Miamice. The faerie Acara would shoot a glare at the striped Kacheek, who'd return the frown quickly. It continued all the way till they reached the front door of their Neohome.

"I've never been so glad to finally reach home," sighed Fluffy, leaning against the wall and knocking on the door. A girl with black hair pulled back into a ponytail answered it. "Hey there! How are my favorite pets? Did you have a good rehearsal? How about your classes?"

At the mention of the word "audition", Glitter and Sweet traded another angry look, which fortunately for them, Kat didn't catch. However, their siblings did, and were now wearing pained expressions on their faces as they all walked into the Neohome with their owner.

"How in the name of Fyora are we going to survive this play now?" asked Angel to Fluffy. "This is getting even worse by the second…"

This time, the white Aisha didn't answer the Poogle's question, as yet another argument flared up between a certain pair of siblings over a certain play.

"Here we go again," moaned Angel.


	5. Chapter 5

"You're sending me threats via bits of scratch paper!"

"You're falsely accusing me!"

"You're calling me a liar!"

"You're not trusting me!"

"You're - HEY!"

A faerie Acara and a striped Kacheek were jumping down each other's throats, until their owner finally slapped her hands roughly over their shoulders.

"We were in a very important argument, Kat!" yelled Glitter. "Besides, you're messing up my fur for the next rehearsal. It takes HOURS to perfect my - "

Sweet grunted. "Oh, just shut up about your appearance for once."

The girl gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself down before calming her own pets down. "Look, can we talk about this later? You wouldn't want to spoil your dinner now, do you?" She looked at Sweet and Glitter, who avoided each other's eyes, and herded them into the kitchen.

Upon the sight of Kat, Fluffy jumped off her table and whispered, "Any success pacifying my siblings?"

"Negative," said their owner to the white Aisha. "Definitely negative."

Fluffy tapped the shoulder of a jelly Poogle, and shook her head. Her little brother groaned loudly and plopped his head onto the table.

"I know," muttered Fluffy to Angel.

After dinner, Kat gathered all four of her pets in the living room. As the quad sat side by side on the sofa (with Angel and Fluffy separating Sweet and Glitter, of course), the girl stood before them, pushing her long black hair away from her face and tying it up in a bandanna. Taking a deep breath, Kat finally spoke.

"Fluffy and Angel said something about Glitter finding a note in her locker this afternoon," she said in a businesslike, no-nonsense tone. "What gives?"

"SOMEONE wants me out of the play," spoke the faerie Acara, shooting a glare towards her older brother's direction. "SOMEONE wrote me a threat that nearly made me faint. But I'm not going to let that get in the way of my blooming career!" She smiled proudly for a moment, and then reverted back to her scowl.

Kat nodded. "Well, I'm glad you won't allow the note to interfere with your acting, but…"

Before she could speak up, Sweet rose from where he was sitting. "I did NOT write those stupid threats!" he yelled so loudly that the Aisha and the Poogle between him and the Acara cowered. "Believe me, Kat, I wouldn't do such a thing! Fine, I admit that I'm jealous - "

"Hah! You admit that you want me out of the play!" shouted Glitter.

"You didn't let me finish!" the Kacheek shot back. "I admit that I'm jealous - " here Fluffy covered Glitter's mouth so she couldn't scream " - but I still didn't do it!"

"Liar - "

"Don't start that again, you - "

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" boomed the voices of Angel, Fluffy and Kat.

However, the jelly Poogle still had another query. "How now are we going to find out if Sweet wrote the note or not?"

The girl scratched her head. "Hang on, give it to me." She stretched out her hand, and the white Aisha gave it to her. Pulling out a small notebook from her jeans pocket, Kat tore out a small page, and fumbled for a pen in her other pocket. The pets' owner gave the two objects to Sweet.

"Now tell me," she asked, "have you seen the note?"

"Just heard of it," answered the striped Kacheek. "But I didn't see the threat up close."

Fluffy and Angel traded a look, and nodded in agreement.

"Now," Kat began, "write the message as I dictate it to you on that piece of paper." Although he was slightly confused, Sweet took the pen and began to scribble the threat as the girl read it out loud. Meanwhile, Glitter covered her ears, as she couldn't take hearing it anymore. But the faerie Acara kept a watchful eye on her brother as he scrawled away.

As the Kacheek handed the paper back to Kat, she scanned it closely, and held it up with the original threat. All of her pets waited impatiently for their owner's verdict.

Finally, she turned both pieces towards her pets. "Well…does Sweet have the same handwriting as the one who could have written the threatening note?"

Angel and Fluffy shook their heads.

"Besides," added Kat, "no offense to Sweet, but this isn't his writing style, He's more straightforward with these kinds of things. Right Glitter?"

The faerie Acara pawed the floor with her foot. "No," she whispered softly.

"I don't like fancy medieval scribbles," said the striped Kacheek.

There was a ringing pause in the living room as the revelation sank into Glitter's mind. Kat crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, and Sweet - instead of scowling in the "I told you so" manner - wore a concerned expression on his face. The white Aisha and the jelly Poogle grabbed each other's paws and waited with bated breath.

At last the silence was broken with a sigh from the faerie Acara. "I'm so, so sorry, Sweet," she mumbled, a tear falling from her cheek. "I guess I jumped to one of the craziest conclusions of my life." She opened her arms and hugged her older brother. "I'll understand if you'll never forgive me."

The striped Kacheek smiled and shrugged. "That's okay," he replied calmly. "And I'm sorry too for yelling at you and calling you a stuck-up jerk."

"I thought I was the one who called you that," laughed Glitter, brushing her tears away. "So we're all on the same side now?"

"Yeah."

Fluffy and Angel traded yet another expression, but this time, it was a happy one. "Are they really friends again?" asked the Poogle to their owner.

Kat gazed at the ceiling in thought briefly. "Well…I think they are." Then she added in a softer voice so only he and the Aisha could hear, "I'm just hoping."

The two siblings winked at the girl, who now called out in a clear, relieved voice, "Everyone, bed. We've spent too much time debating on Glitter and Sweet's case."

The Kacheek and the Acara complied and went off to their bedrooms, chatting about what had happened while they weren't talking to each other. Angel picked up Morpheus the Anubis, who was sleeping soundly at the foot of the sofa, and trotted to his room, yawning. But before Fluffy could take one step toward her own, Kat gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay here for a while," she said gently. "I have to talk to you about something. Privately."

The white Aisha froze, her stomach sinking. This didn't sound good, but she obeyed accordingly and sat back down on the sofa, stroking a little Snowbunny who had jumped up beside her.

Instead of towering over her pet, the girl reclined beside Fluffy casually. "Tell me, how are things in the play going right now?"

She answered in a small voice. "Fine."

"I see. Well, if Glitter and Angel are characters, and Sweet does the lights, what do you do during rehearsals?"

Fluffy decided to lie her way out of this. She knew what was going on - Kat was about to ask why she had been behaving strangely ever since the announcement of the play. "Uh…I…I'm the stage manager, and…"

But her owner had another trick up her sleeve. "Ah, I didn't see your name on the document giving the final participants," she said swiftly. "Your little sister and brother gave me two copies after I heard they made it."

At this, the white Aisha was stunned. Kat was on to her. "You mean…you now know that I'm not doing anything for the play?"

The girl chuckled. "How can I NOT know? I'm your owner, and I look out for you. Can't you tell me what is going on with you? Not even your siblings see your strange behavior." She kindly placed an arm around Fluffy's shoulder. "If you tell me what's bugging you, maybe I can find a way to help."

Her last words echoed in the Aisha's four ears. She could no longer hide her true feelings. Fluffy hugged her owner tightly and started to spill. "I think I have stage fright," she whispered to Kat. "I don't like so many Neopians staring at me waiting for me to do something they like. It's so easy to be humiliated or to look bad in front of them all. I never wanted to be part of this place in the first place, but my siblings were forcing me to! Why can't they just leave me alone? And why can't the teachers do the same?"

"If Fluffy is angry at the teachers, this must be serious," thought the girl to herself, fighting back a small smile and listening to her Aisha's anguished sobs. Kat turned back to her pet and returned the hug. "Come now, that's not so bad. In fact, it's a problem a smart student like you can solve easily."

The owner continued. "It's all right to be scared sometimes, but you can't let it control you. And about getting all humiliated - well, it's all part of life. Don't let what others think get to you. What's important is that you know you're doing something good. Besides, your siblings would really love it if you joined the presentation. Think about it - all four of you working together with your classmates, putting together something really cool!"

The Aisha glanced at the girl as if she were insane. But as the words slowly sank into her, Fluffy knew.

"Besides," added Kat, "humiliation is only temporary. They laugh for a while, and then stop, and then you were worried for nothing."

At last a smile crossed Fluffy's tearstained face. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, and the white Aisha just got one of her brilliant ideas.

Unfortunately, it had to wait until morning. "I think it's about time we go to bed now," said Kat. "It's WAY past your bedtime."


	6. Chapter 6

"You what?" asked Sweet in disbelief as his white Aisha sister whispered something into his ear.

"Think about it. It could be fun," replied Fluffy smoothly, leaning towards her brother's table.

But before the striped Kacheek could respond, a white Jetsam kicked open the door of their classroom and waltzed in, wearing the usual snug look on his face. And as usual, he strolled over to Sweet, maliciously grinning.

"Hey, lights geek! I want those bright shiny things in my face during this rehearsal! I'm the star of the show, and everyone's going to be watching me!" Alvin made a silly pose right in front of his rival. "Only the best for me, the greatest -"

Sweet jumped off his chair and faced the Jetsam squarely. "You're not the star, Alvin," he said coolly. "My sister's the star, and you're just the co-star. You only get to be in the limelight because she and the teachers let you. Now just leave me alone before I have to tell Miss Ford that you're bragging your head off."

Alvin glared briefly at the striped Kacheek, who had already turned away and was sliding back into his seat, as if nothing had transpired. Fluffy gave her sibling the thumbs-up. "Wow, you really showed him that time! And you stood up for Glitter - it's been a long time since you did that!"

"Well, we're all siblings," he answered. "We stick together, no matter what." His own words seemed to slap him back to reality. "So…I guess that means we'll be on the lights committee together?"

"Sure. Kat said that there is a possibility of me not being seen while I work lights anyway."

"I'm sure glad to hear that!"

The two siblings craned their necks towards their left and saw a strawberry Poogle enter the classroom. "Fluffy, did you just say that you want to get into the lights committee?"

The white Aisha nodded to her teacher, who beamed instantly. "Fantastic! We needed more volunteers, and thankfully you offered your services in time!" Sweet winked at his sister as Miss Ford made her way towards her table to begin class.

"For once, I can't wait for the practice to begin," remarked Fluffy. The class had ended, and everyone was headed for the auditorium. Some of their classmates were already in their costumes, and the other students were coming out of their rooms as well.

Angel and Glitter immediately pushed through the crowd and met up with their older siblings. "Sweet! Fluffy! Over here!"

The four quickly stuck together. "So did you two finally decide to work together on the lights?" asked the Poogle curiously.

The Kacheek and Aisha nodded together, obviously looking very happy and relieved. Before anything else, a wad of paper sailed up from nowhere, hit Glitter on the head and plopped onto the floor. The faerie Acara picked it up before anyone could and unfolded it. Her eyes grew wide as she scanned the note.

"Another threat?" asked Sweet. Glitter pulled him to a corner of the auditorium, along with Fluffy, who had dragged Angel as well. The three siblings listened closely to their sister as she read out the second note from the culprit.

"With the throne comes a big responsibility, Queen Allison. Thou art better off saving thyself from the dangers that lurk ahead. Give thy crown away and keep it away from thyself. Do it before it is too late to live a normal, safe life away from monarchy."

The faerie Acara looked up. "Same handwriting," she said. "At least we know that there is only one someone who's writing these things."

"They sure like using the Water Faerie Pencil," observed Sweet. "Another evidence that none of us is threatening Glitter - we don't have any of those." His siblings nodded.

"And it's all in loopy writing," added Angel. "I don't like doing fancy stuff."

"Well, at least we now know that the culprit likes Water Faerie Pencils, cursive script and medieval figures of speech. There may well be several of these here in the school," said Fluffy.

The discussion ended there, as Miss Ford and Mr. Embers had arrived to separate the group into their respective parts.

"Hey, can you make some blue light?" whispered Sweet to a small light faerie that was perched on a small chest of costumes.

She nodded eagerly, zoomed off above the stage, and began flashing her sapphire glow on Glitter, who was once again clad in a regal costume and rattling off some of her lines. It made the striped Kacheek proud to see that she was the only one rehearsing without a script.

But just a split second later, Sweet heard the backdrop shudder violently, and made its slow fall onto the stage, headed towards the Acara.

"LOOK OUT!" Sweet yelled. Glitter whipped around to see a huge wooden display behind her. She instantly took flight and soared just before the backdrop could hit any part of her. All the knights - including Angel - were all scattered at the sides, so they didn't need to run off when the background made its morbid cascade towards the queen.

"Are you all right?" called the jelly Poogle, sheathing his pretend sword.

Glitter nodded. "That was close! If it weren't for Sweet, I would've been a goner!" She waved towards the striped Kacheek, whose eyes were wide with fear and anxiety after seeing what had nearly happened.

"Thank goodness everything's all right," said Miss Ford, running up to the stage, accompanied by a group of students and Mr. Embers the fire Scorchio. "But how could that have happened?"

"I don't know," said Sweet, coming out from backstage. "After I spoke to a light faerie, I heard something creak and crash. But I didn't do it!" he added quickly. "Right after I asked her to go put the spotlight on Glitter, that's when the backdrop started to move!"

"He couldn't have done it," said the faerie Acara. "I saw him there, and if it were my brother, it would have taken longer for the backdrop to fall, because Sweet has to run over behind the thing and push it down."

The anxious expression on Sweet's face turned into a grateful one. He was so astounded at his sister's effort to defend him that he momentarily forgot about the fateful moment. The Kacheek shot Glitter a relieved smile.

"But…if it wasn't Sweet, then who did it?" asked Miss Ford. The strawberry Poogle scratched her head. "I sent Fluffy off to do an errand for me, so it wasn't her either, I'm sure."

"If it was her, it would have taken her a longer time to run back here to try and ruin Glitter's act," added Mr. Embers.

While everyone else shrugged and offered their theories, Sweet saw a figure clad in black gently slip behind the curtains, coming from the area of the backdrop. Without thinking twice, he pursued the stranger. "Get back here, you coward!" he called out. Of course, the figure quickened its pace and disappeared through a door. The striped Kacheek followed suit and saw that he was standing in an empty space…just beside the stage. They had gone through the backstage door, and now the stranger had vanished.

"Shoot," sighed Sweet. But before he could turn back to his work, he saw something fall onto the floor in the stranger's trail. Glitter's brother ran over to it, and saw a turquoise-colored pencil, with the initials "A.D." scrawled on the body with black ink. Looking around, he put the evidence in his backpack. As he walked over to the stage, he bumped into a flustered faerie Acara.

"What's wrong now?" he asked, seeing the expression on his sister's face. Glitter's eyes were wide open, and she was shaking. She pointed at the empty wall at the back of the auditorium, where some tall, thin words had been daubed with light blue paint. The students and teachers began to investigate, and many questions could be heard from the group.

Now that the backdrop was gone, everyone could see a vast stretch of dull off-white wall, but it was no longer just off-white. At the very center were several haunting words that made even Sweet shudder.

"Oh…this is…crazy," the Kacheek managed to choke out. Nobody had noticed the paint at first, but now that the attention was no longer on the fallen backdrop, all eyes were on what someone had scrawled in a light blue tint.

"Come on, let's go clean this up," Miss Ford was calling. "We have to get this place set as early as possible."

"But we can't," replied one of the students from the props committee. "Whoever has done this has used permanent paint."

"Maybe we can cover it up," suggested the strawberry Poogle.

The same student shook his head. "Miss Ford, the white wall is so dirty that if we painted over it with white, they'd still stand out to a good eye."

"This is horrible," sighed Mr. Embers. "Who in Fyora's name would want to see such absurd, abhorrent threats scribbled in our auditorium?"

"It wouldn't be good for the Neoschool's name," added Miss Ford. "Okay, all of you may go home now. We will deal with this fiasco right now, and you are all better off staying with your owners for a while. A vandal's on the loose."

Glitter shook her head and whispered to Sweet. "It's not a vandal…it's the one who wants me out of the play!"

Neither the striped Kacheek nor Angel could argue with that statement, as the two brothers reread the terrible statement scrawled on the wall. The faerie Acara had been annoyed at the notes and the backdrop falling, but this time she was frightened and panicky.

"And besides, you're the only Glitter in this place," added the jelly Poogle in horror.

"QUEEN ALLISON MUST DIE

GLITTER MUST DIE."


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm not going back tomorrow…I'm not going back tomorrow…I'm NEVER going back tomorrow…"

"Get a grip, Glitter. Don't be such a coward."

"But didn't you see all that writing? THEY'RE OUT TO GET ME!" A faerie Acara scrunched herself up on the sofa in anxiety. Her brother, a striped Kacheek, climbed up and sat himself beside Glitter.

He gave his sister a reassuring hug. "We'll get to the bottom of this," he said. "Besides, we've got clues now, right?"

Fluffy the white Aisha sauntered into the living room, writing something in a piece of paper. Upon hearing Sweet speak, she cleared her throat and started to read what she wrote.

"We have that water faerie pencil Sweet got from the shadowy stranger, the tall light blue letters, the falling backdrop, the notes with neat, cursive handwriting and medieval wording, and that figure Sweet was chasing." Fluffy stopped and tapped the top of her pen on her chin.

"Not to mention the initials A.D. on the pencil," said Angel. "Who IS AD?"

The striped Kacheek waved his paw in the air. "ALVIN! I bet Alvin wants Glitter out of the play so he'd get all the glory! That sneak!"

His white Aisha sister shook her head. "Alvin's initials are A.D.N."

"Well, there's an AD in there!" said Sweet indignantly.

"But does he like medieval stuff and cursive penmanship?" asked Fluffy. "If I know, he doesn't like that stuff. Remember when Miss Ford told him off for sleeping through a history of Meridell class?"

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Why would a guy who hated medieval things join a medieval play?" he asked.

"I bet Alvin just did it for the attention and the glory," replied the striped Kacheek to the jelly Poogle. "He's willing to do anything for everyone to bow down at his feet."

Fluffy scratched her head. "There's a missing piece of the puzzle…we know that the culprit likes light blue - as shown by his or her pencil of choice and the paint used for the threatening message. Then there's the neat script and the affinity for Meridell, the only land in Neopia that has a medieval air. Who could this be?"

"So what are you doing, now that you've been dismissed quite early?" asked Kat, passing by her hardworking pets gathered in the living room.

"Trying to find out who really wants Glitter out of the play," answered Angel. "We've collected clues and we're trying to put them all together."

The girl smiled. "Why, that's nice," she remarked. "I'll be in the kitchen making dinner then. Good luck, and Glitter?"

"Yes?" The faerie Acara perked up.

"Don't let whoever's sending you those threats get to you. I know you'll do great in the play. In fact, I need a good outfit for that special day." Kat disappeared into the kitchen, leaving four detectives back to their work.

The white Aisha briefly sucked the end of her pen. "As we were saying?"

"We have to find one student in the whole Neoschool who fits all the clues," said Angel. "None of my friends have the initials of AD, so they're cool."

Sweet nodded. "Same here. Although I've got a friend named Astral Descent, but he hates any shade of blue, most especially the light kind."

Fluffy giggled. "You mean the one who tried to pass a petition asking Fyora to change the sky into a nice purple color?"

"Yeah, Fluff! I can't believe you still remember it!" exclaimed the striped Kacheek. He and his sister broke into peals of laughter. "And then Miss Ford told him to stop it or she'll tell the staff to get the whole place painted blue! It was just about the only thing in my mind for two straight weeks!"

Angel and Glitter chuckled along with their older siblings, but one of them was looking particularly worried.

"Glitter, what's wrong this time?" asked the white Aisha. "We're already helping you catch the one behind all this, what more could you want?" Then suddenly it hit her like a bouncy ball.

"Glitter…your friend Alisa…what's her last name?"

"Diamond," answered the faerie Acara softly. "I think she's the culprit."

Sweet and Angel gasped. "How could that be?" asked the Poogle. "She's your friend!"

Their sister nodded sadly. "I know. I know that you guys always think that she's happy for me, all that jazz…but actually, these days she keeps on raving about how much she'd like to be in the play instead of being on the lights committee. One time, Alisa told me that she was jealous of me being the star of the show."

"Okay, okay, so she's a suspicious character," said Angel. "Does she like light blue?"

"All shades," replied Glitter. "Especially turquoise. It has always been her trademark ever since I met her."

The striped Kacheek waved his paw again. "Does Alisa have a fetish for medieval stuff?"

Glitter nodded. "She's always awake during our history of Meridell lessons. She hates it when she has to be absent on such a day. There have been times that I remember where she bored me to death with facts and figures on some of the wars in said subject."

"Now for the last piece of evidence," said Fluffy. "Do you have anything that Alisa has written on in the past few days? We're going to compare her handwriting with those on the notes to really see if Alisa matches the identity of the one who wants you out of the play."

The Acara nodded, and began digging through her backpack. After a few moments of sticking her paw through a pocket filled with scraps of paper, she finally pulled out a bit of turquoise-colored paper with some fancy script. Glitter showed it to her older sister, and their brothers crowded around to see.

"There is no doubt," Fluffy stated, "that Alisa IS the last piece of the puzzle. Look at the two notes - one which is a threat to Glitter and the other which is a friendly note passed to our sister in class. Everything fits. It has been her jealousy that drove her to commit such a heinous act."

"In short, Alisa wanted her friend out of the play because she didn't like the idea of Glitter being better than her," Sweet repeated.

"Exactly."

Suddenly another thought crossed the mind of the faerie Acara. "How are we going to expose her and make her admit that she was trying to take me out?"

The white Aisha smiled mischievously. "Don't worry. I've got a plan to catch Alisa in the act. All we need to do is make her write something in front of the teachers and show them the notes Glitter has been receiving. Plus, we have to somehow prove that she was the one who pushed the backdrop and painted the message on the wall."

Sweet held up the water faerie pencil that had the initials of Glitter's friend. "Here," he said. "I'm sure Mr. Embers knows about Alisa's fondness for light blue stuff, medieval things and neat cursive penmanship."

Glitter thought for a few seconds. "Yeah, he sure knows. He wasn't surprised when she came to school one day clad in only shades of sky blue."

"Good," said Fluffy. "Tomorrow, during the last practice before the actual play, we expose Alisa for the deceiver she is."

"The Lab Ray's been quite kind to you today," remarked Sweet, glancing at Angel's new look. Today, his little brother was no longer a jelly Poogle, but a white Zafara.

"Thanks," said he, twirling around. "I'm just so happy to not be made of gelatin anymore."

Fluffy whispered to the two. "Do you all know what to do?"

"Yeah," replied the striped Kacheek. "Don't worry, this'll turn out all right, and Glitter's name will be cleared, and - " His face suddenly fell.

The faerie Acara noticed his sudden change in expression. "Why? No wait - Alvin's still going to be playing the lead male role. I guess you really weren't cut out to be a star." She sighed with pity for her brother, who smiled only a teeny bit.

Before anything else, a flustered Miss Ford came running up to the quad. "Sweet? Oh, I'm glad you're here! We need you, badly!"

"Huh? What for?" asked the striped Kacheek nervously. "Am I in trouble? I swear I haven't done anything wrong for the past few days! Honest!" His siblings nodded in agreement at the strawberry Poogle, who only chuckled at them all.

"Don't be silly, Sweet," she said calmly, adjusting her glasses. "The thing is, we've chosen you for a very special job in the play. And it won't be involving lights!" The teacher grinned as she let loose with some interesting news. "Alvin's owner sent me a message informing us that he can't be here today. Apparently he's injured himself in a little run-in with the Pant Devil and needs some recovery time."

Sweet's mouth hung open, and his eyes grew wider every second. "You mean - "

"That's right. You have been chosen as Alvin's understudy for the play! We're sorry for the inconvenience that you have to memorize the lines and sequences only a few hours before the actual thing. I'm only asking for your consent. If you don't want the extra work and prefer being with the lights committee, you may say so."

Fluffy, Glitter and Angel watched their eldest brother jump up and down with delight. "Oh, I won't mind! Honest! I can get the lines in my head before the big performance, I promise! I won't let you down, Miss Ford! I've always wanted to be in this play!"

Miss Ford smiled. "Wow, I didn't know that you would say yes so quickly! Well, I better be off to tell Mr. Embers and Miss Tails the good news! Thank you very much!" And with that, the strawberry Poogle sprinted off frantically, obviously in a hurry.

The words hit Sweet like a good punch in the back of the head. "I'm…I'm going to…be…playing the next most important role to Queen Allison!" he said in an excited tone. "I…I…"

"We can't believe it too!" said Glitter, hugging her brother. "I guess you really were destined to be General Alphonse after all!"


	8. Chapter 8

A faerie Acara walked up casually to her friend Alisa, who had been sitting on a small box backstage. The dress rehearsal - and the last practice before the actual performance - was about to begin.

"What do you want?" asked the rainbow Uni grumpily. "I'm busy."

"Sitting in the dark?" said Glitter, smirking. "I don't think so. Well…Mr. Embers wants you to write a nice sign for her." She gave Alisa a piece of paper. "Umm, something about slippery floors and watching out for them."

The Uni raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Well then, why me?"

"'Cause our teacher thinks you have great handwriting! Now come on!"

Not realizing what plan the Acara had, Alisa dug through her bag, looking for something to write with. Much to Glitter's surprise, she pulled out a water faerie pencil, with the initials A.D. marked on it.

"How many of those pencils do you have, anyway?" asked Glitter nonchalantly.

Alisa narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Don't you remember? I told you that I have four pencils exactly like these some time ago. But yesterday, I lost one." The faerie Acara continued to watch her beadily - as the rainbow Uni put the point onto the paper and slowly began to form cursive words. At last, she held up the note for Glitter. "What do you think? I bet Mr. Embers will like it."

Glitter smiled triumphantly. "Here, I'll come with you." The two chums came out and walked up to a fire Scorchio scribbling on a clipboard.

"Yes?"

"Sir, I think I just caught our phantom of the play," proclaimed Glitter so loudly that all heads turned to look at her. Alisa gasped.

The Acara took out a slightly crumpled note out of her backpack, and snatched the so-called sign from her friend. She shoved them both under the nose of their teacher, who gazed intently at both pieces of paper. "Remember when I showed THIS thing to you a few days ago?" Glitter waved the threat. "Now, I got Alisa to write something, and just look at the writing style of both!"

Mr. Embers furrowed his brows and scrutinized them. "I must admit…Glitter, you're right. There is no doubt that Alisa has been sending you threats and has been behind all the mishaps you have encountered in the preparation of this play!"

The rainbow Uni was struck dumb. "But sir…I wouldn't do such things! I'm her friend!"

"Sure, but you haven't been quite a good friend to Glitter, Alisa," said Sweet, walking up to them in a Meridellian general's costume. "You let your jealousy get in the way of your relationship. You went too far and nearly hurt my sister. And NOBODY gets away with it!" He raised his wooden sword above Alisa, who was now cowering in fear and terror. Without another word, the Uni leapt up and ran for the auditorium exit.

"STOP HER, TROOPS!" yelled the Kacheek, waving his pretend weapon. "That girl wants my little sister out of the play, and she's going to pay!"

One speckled Acara remained as every other extra knight sprang into action. "Who, your sibling or the one torturing your sibling?"

Sweet glared at him. "The one torturing Glitter, idiot!" He and his lingering companion dashed off to where Alisa had been cornered.

"Is this true?" asked Miss Tails, coming to see what the commotion was about.

The fire Scorchio nodded at his colleague. "Miss Alisa Diamond has been correctly accused of threatening, treachery and terrible light management." He pointed at the rainbow Uni struggling in the grasp of a white Zafara and a striped Kacheek. "Thanks to the detective work of the victim and her siblings, we've finally apprehended her."

"Alisa? Why, I just can't believe it!" said the island Lupe to Mr. Embers.

"Believe it, sir, ma'am," said Fluffy, weaving into the raucous crowd. "If you please, my siblings and I will put together the pieces of the puzzle and prove that it was Alisa once and for all."

"Our first clue was the threats. They were scribbled in neat, cursive handwriting and with medieval terms like 'thee' or 'thou'."

One faerie Meerca jumped into the discussion. "She's right! She's right! Glitter's friend is a sucker for anything Meridellian and always wins a penmanship award!"

"Right, Cuddlycoon. And our second clue was the fact that both notes were written with a Water Faerie Pencil. Of course, there are a lot of students here who have such, but - "

Sweet tapped his sword onto the floor. "Which brings us to the next bit of info. There are only a few guys on the lights committee - namely me, Alisa and Fluffy. Fluffy was gone when the backdrop incident happened, and I was too far from it. Obviously only Alisa was the one who could have pushed it down to get Glitter out of the play."

The rainbow Uni scowled at the Kacheek. "Oh yeah? How about the props group?"

Glitter smirked. "Sorry chum, they weren't backstage during that time. Since most of them belonged to the Art Club, they were all gone for a meeting. The rest were putting the finishing touches on other stuff."

The white Aisha continued. "Another piece of the mystery was the painted threat at the back of the stage. It was colored turquoise - one of Alisa's favorite colors. Then Sweet found her trying to escape and keep her identity a secret, but she dropped a Water Faerie Pencil bearing the initials AD AD for Alisa Diamond."

"She has more where that came from," said the faerie Acara. "Plus, she accidentally admitted to me that she lost one yesterday - the same day when the backdrop nearly fell on me and Sweet picked up that stray pencil."

"So the 'sign' you secretly made Alisa write was simply a way to catch her?" asked Mr. Embers.

The four pets nodded in unison.

"I must say, you're excellent detectives," said Miss Tails approvingly. "And quite caring too - I could only imagine the work you went through just to save your sister from such harm and humiliation."

"And I would've gotten away with it too," muttered Alisa. "I would've become Queen Allison, the star of the show. If it weren't for your meddling siblings, Glitter, I would have taken the part which is rightfully mine!" The rainbow Uni twitched menacingly. "I was meant to play the part!"

The fire Scorchio sighed. "Alisa, because of such actions, I'm afraid that not even the lights committee has a place for you. We'll be putting you in detention while your friends are acting their little hearts out. We aren't taking any chances after you've caused quite a bit of chaos around here."

"Detention? NO! I've never been to detention! My owner will get you for this!" She screamed as Mr. Embers dragged her off and out of the auditorium. "WHY? Glitter, I'll have my revenge! If you were a real friend, you would've given ME your part!"

Glitter shook her head. "YOU weren't a real friend to me, Alisa. If you were, you would've just felt happy for me instead of plotting my downfall. It really hurt when I found out that you were the one sending me all those threats. And it was because of you that I falsely accused my brother."

Her friend said nothing as she disappeared behind the auditorium exit with Mr. Embers, but continued glaring at the faerie Acara till she was out of sight. All was still.

Until Sweet broke out with, "What are you all waiting for? We've got a play to get ready for!" His statement was answered by a series of whoops and cheers as the students all ran back and took their places at the stage, behind it, or beside it.

"Wait!" Fluffy called. "What about me? Without you or Alisa, I can't work the lights myself!"

The striped Kacheek's face fell. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I've always wanted to act. I'd love to help you out, but this is perhaps one opportunity I can never let slip." He gave his sister a hug. "But I'll try my best to ask some students if they can help you."

Angel waved his pretend weapon. "I can help," he said. "Only when I'm not on stage, that is."

Miss Tails and Miss Ford heard the conversation and walked over to the trio. "What's going on?" asked the strawberry Poogle.

"Because Sweet's got a part in the play and Alisa's in detention, I have nobody else on the lights committee," replied the white Aisha.

"Well," began the island Lupe hopefully, "maybe Miss Ford and I can be of assistance. Working alongside the Detective of the Day and her siblings would be a big honor."

Fluffy, Sweet and Angel all cracked up. "Thanks," said Fluffy gratefully.

"Our pleasure," replied the two teachers as they went off to supervise Glitter and the other thespians on stage.

Meanwhile, her remaining siblings traded glances.

"Ready for the big play?" asked Sweet.

"Hope you memorize your lines," said Fluffy. "Good luck."

"Thanks for the detective work, you guys," said Glitter, walking over to them in her costume. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't still be here."

"That's what siblings are for," said Angel as he hugged his older brother and sisters. They all embraced each other until Mr. Embers called them out for the last rehearsal.

"And no matter what happens, we'll stick together. Whether we blow it or we ace it, whether we're on the lights committee or on the stage," added the faerie Acara.


	9. Chapter 9

"I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" Glitter could barely keep still as her older sister began applying lipstick on her.

"Hey, you wouldn't want this thing to smudge, don't you?" asked the white Aisha, holding the faerie Acara's shoulders down. "I can't believe it either…the fateful day has finally come!"

"I KNOWWWWWWWW!" squealed Glitter, examining herself in the mirror and putting on a small medallion with the Meridellian crest emblazoned on it. "This is it…my moment to shine…"

A striped Kacheek peeked into the girls' dressing room and showed off his knight outfit. "Well, what do you guys think? Do I look cool, or do I look cool?" He swished the pretend sword around and nearly thwacked a nearby white Zafara beside him.

"Ouch! Sweet, I know you're the general but that doesn't give you liberty to hit your troops around the head!" said Angel.

"Looking good, Sweet," said Fluffy. "You really were meant to play the part. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some lights to control and some effects to go over." The white Aisha waved again at her three siblings and left the dressing room. As soon as she was out of sight, Glitter stood up from the chair and twirled around, admiring her gown.

The faerie Acara smiled. "So…we're all ready?" She picked up her sparkling scepter. "Come on, we've got a crowd to please and a play to finish!" Glitter flew off, followed by her two brothers. Angel curiously peeked through the curtains.

"Lots of audience," he remarked, seeing the massive gathering of some pets and a lot of owners who had come to watch. "I'm nervous." He clung on to his older siblings in trepidation.

Glitter patted Angel on the shoulder. "It'll be all right," she whispered soothingly.

"SHHH, it's starting!" said Sweet, holding onto his sword as if it were his life. They heard the commentary of Prancereon, a beautiful faerie Peophin.

"Owners, teachers, students, guests and guests of honor," she spoke in a clear voice, "we are gathered here today to witness the play that speaks of the life of Queen Allison, a past ruler of Meridell, whose courage and bravery has saved the kingdom. Though she has soldiers to defend her, she has chosen to join the fray and fight for Meridell as well. Today, we witness the spirited performance of Glitter the faerie Acara playing the lead role, and A - "

Prancereon saw Miss Ford shake her head and gesture towards a striped Kacheek getting ready backstage.

" - I mean, Sweet the striped Kacheek will be taking the lead male role as General Alphonse, the Queen's most trusted general. Please give a round of applause for the actors, actresses and everyone involved in this fine performance. Once again, good evening to all."

The faerie Peophin exited the stage, and the curtains slowly went up, revealing a new background showing a lovely rendition of the kingdom of Meridell.

In the audience, one girl elbowed Kat in the ribs. "My little Flotsam helped paint that backdrop," she whispered.

A boy on the other side of Kat clapped her hard on the shoulder. "Well, you have nothing on my Danielle. She's going to act in this play as Queen Alison's daughter Alana."

Smiling, the black-haired girl replied to them, "Get this: Glitter is going to play the lead role. She's none other than Queen Allison. AND Sweet is taking the next most important role."

"No kidding!" said the girl, tossing her brown hair back. It had streaks of pink running through it. "BOTH your pets are taking the lead parts?"

"And my Angel is an extra knight, and Fluffy's working the lights," added Kat proudly.

"You can brag later, missy," said the boy, adjusting his polka-dotted bow tie. "The play's starting!"

Sure enough, the presentation opened with the sight of what looked like the splitting image of the throne room of Meridell Castle. A faerie Acara was sitting regally on the decorated chair, smiling at all the other actors and actresses in guard costumes.

After all the guards had walked in and taken their places (apparently some pets had forgotten their parts briefly), Glitter stood up, adjusted her gold-painted crown and said in a loud voice, "Royal subjects, we are gathered here to…to…" Suddenly she bit her lip and paused for a moment.

Fluffy peeked from backstage, where she was giving one light faerie some orders. "Talk about a kingdom crisis," she mouthed to her sister.

"…Talk about a kingdom crisis," repeated Glitter, her voice clearer and more confident. "You see, the evil forces of a dark overlord are threatening our land, and we need all the help we can get."

Sweet perked up at that last word, knowing his cue. "Your Majesty, my army and I are more than willing to fight for you, even if it means giving up our lives. It is for the good of Meridell."

Back behind the curtains, a white Aisha realized that one light wasn't focused on the striped Kacheek as he delivered his speech. Thinking quickly, she waved over at one of the faeries flashing the lights and hurriedly made sure that they all shone on Sweet's direction.

On the stage, a particularly eager Zafara was waving his pretend sword around in the air. Sweet shot him a glare that clearly said, "Not yet!" Angel quickly brought it down, blushing. Someone from the audience snickered.

"Aw, shoot," mumbled Angel. Sweet winked at him and whispered, "Not a problem." The two fell silent as Glitter hopped off her throne and began pacing the aisle between the rows of pets acting as knights.

The play went on and on, and soon, some impatient pets had fallen asleep in their seats. But many of the owners were at the edge of their seats, especially during the battle scene. Kat, for instance, was staring at the stage so hard that her seatmate waved his hand vigorously in front of her and she barely blinked.

"Nobody will crush the mighty kingdom of Meridell!" Glitter had proclaimed, raising another pretend sword in the air and adjusting her crown discreetly amidst her fellow actors in knight costumes. The girl in the audience smiled even widely as she took a bow before a very loud and long applause, and stood up, clapping.

After the curtain call, many of the owners stood up from their chairs and crowded over backstage, where all the pets were cleaning up after the show. Kat pushed her way through and found a faerie Acara in a queen outfit speaking to a white Aisha.

"Glitter, you rocked. Big time," said the girl, grinning.

"Thanks," replied the Acara. "But Fluffy was really good with the lights. And with that plan to expose Alisa for the phony she was."

The white Aisha shook her head. "Glitter was great as the queen of Meridell," she opposed. "Plus, Sweet and Angel made wonderful knights out there. Doing the lights was nothing compared to facing such a full house."

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have spiffy effects during the performance," said Sweet, taking off his armor and waving his sword again in the air.

"He made a great general!" squealed the Zafara, pointing at the striped Kacheek.

Sweet clapped Angel on the shoulder. "But you were a cool extra knight. Even if you were just an extra." The two brothers gave each other a high five.

Kat couldn't help but feel proud for all of her pets. "You guys were great out there. Glitter, your performance as Queen Allison was astounding. Those two I sat with can't believe just how good you were as the lead character. The same goes with you, Sweet. You really were meant to play that part. Angel, extras in a play are important too, and you yourself were. Fluffy, your expertise with the lights was simply smashing. Not literally, of course."

"And," added the faerie Acara, "Fluffy helped me remember my line when I nearly forgot it…even if it meant staring out into the huge audience."

"And," piped up the white Aisha, "Glitter was quick to forgive her brother and never let that incident pull her down from the part that was rightfully hers."

"And," interrupted Angel, "even though Sweet was jealous of Glitter - no offense - he didn't stoop as low as Glitter's friend did."

"And," said Sweet, "Angel took his little role seriously and made it utterly unique."

These remarks made their owner even happier. She knelt down to hug the four. "Well, I guess it wasn't just in the play that you were able to play your own special parts. In fact, you all have your own roles here in the real Neopian life."

"Ooh, ooh!" said the white Zafara, waving his paw wildly. "Kat also had her own part, not just us!"

Glitter nodded. "She helped keep us all together, especially when Sweet and I got into that stupid fight."

"She helped me overcome that stage fright," said Fluffy. "I was able to not pass out, no matter how full the auditorium was."

"Kat really did play her own part - and she continues to," replied Sweet. "And boy, she needs no substitute!"

"Aw, it was nothing, really," said the girl, blushing with gratitude. She stood up and brushed something off her skirt. "So, I hear that the teachers are talking about another Neoschool presentation. Will you be in this one together, just like in "The Great Queen Of Meridell"?

Sweet, Glitter, Fluffy and Angel got into a group hug. "You bet your Halo of Devilpuss we will, Kat!" said the striped Kacheek proudly.

**The End**


End file.
